winning with cavalry

[Celsius]

is it possible to beat the whole campaign with just cavalry.

Im mostley talking about heavy cavalry.

Just wondering

[Augustus Lucifer]

I don't see why it wouldn't be, heavy cavalry can destroy non-spear infantry and light cavalry something fierce, especially with good equipment and some chevrons. You'd just have to insure you use baiting maneuvers on the heavily spear-oriented nations so that they deploy their phalanx in your direction and you quickly hit their back and feint a charge from the front in order for them to "Fear being surrounded" and route. The only real problem will lie in upkeep, since heavy cavalry generally have really high upkeep.

Maybe you should try it, make an AAR out of it

Cheers,
Augustus

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Yeah, like Lucifer said, why not? Personally I've never tried it with heavy cavalry, but I suppose the main obstacle is just getting through the phalanxes and stuff. But I know for certain that a campaign can be won be horse archers, if you consider them cavalry.

[Celsius]

anything on a horse is considered cavalry to me.

[Legio]

According to the game and military clasifications, elephants and tanks are cav, but cataphracts can shatter spartans head on. At least my cataphracts can

[pwijnands]

anything on a horse is considered cavalry to me.

What about camels and elephants...

[Scutarii]

Its definitely possible, particularly with an HA factions, but using just heavy cav is an option too.

[htismaqe]

I won a Parthian campaign using nothing but HA's and generals. I would occasionally pickup a mercenary infantry unit to handle battering rams or sap points, but that was it.

[Prince_of_Macedon]

Moving to Battle Planning.

[hyperballa]

how would u use cav in siege batles?

[Legio]

how would u use cav in siege batles?

Have a crappy mercenary infantry unit sap or use battering ram, then charge in and kill all!

[NobleNick]

All-cav forces can rack up heroic victories like they were nothing, if you follow a few simple guidelines (like making sure you are always the defender, except in siege battles) and exercise patience in the battles.

For sieges, just wait until the enemy sallies or surrenders. If they sally, make them chase you until they are exhausted, then pick apart straggling units with massed cav attacks. Even half stacks of Gaul cav can win heroic victories with minimal caualties against full stacks of armored hoplites, if you exercise patience, live on the pause button, make the enemy run, and micro-manage your attacks.

It's ~almost~ cheating!

[Nevski]

Four units of cavalry charged into a non-phalanx unit will overwhelm it make it rout in seconds, withdraw/regroup and charge in another unit, till they're all gone to meet their ancestors lol

[Magno]

You wai till they come out, I did a whole Macedonian campaign with Light lancers, Macedonian Cavalry and Companion cavalry.

[htismaqe]

You wai till they come out, I did a whole Macedonian campaign with Light lancers, Macedonian Cavalry and Companion cavalry.

Yep. Just wait them out, they'll eventually sally forth. I'm too impatient, so I used infantry for battering rams or sap points, but I never used infantry in battle.

[Katene]

You will die fighting with legions if continue group cavalries and charge <______< Good phalanxes too.

Because the legions are tight, you cannot rout a unit just by charging. Even when you use heavy cavalry. Then others units will surround you. (Very Hard)

[Entropy Judge]

Because the legions are tight, you cannot rout a unit just by charging. Even when you use heavy cavalry. Then others units will surround you. (Very Hard)

Of course, on VH the AI get Attack (and Defense and Morale?) bonuses, so that is probably accounting for it. That, and operator error in not removing the cavalry from melee.

[NobleNick]

You will die fighting with legions if continue group cavalries and charge <______< Good phalanxes too.

Because the legions are tight, you cannot rout a unit just by charging. Even when you use heavy cavalry. Then others units will surround you. (Very Hard)

You are correct, in general, that the generic advice is that using cav against H.I. and especially against phalanx units is very hard. Some would say suicidal. HOWEVER, by following a few simple rules, developing skill using the correct techniques, living on the PAUSE button, and exercising patience --> heavy cav is deadly efficient at demolishing entire stacks of H.I. and/or spear units.

The following as a Case in point, wherein Gaul cavalry (of all things) takes on and hammers fulls stacks of mostly hoplites, in two consecutive engagements. Enjoy.

Athough the above link shows battles on HARD setting; I want to assure you that I have used this cheap trick successfully in countless battles on VERY HARD battle setting.

I hope you find this amusing.

[General Nuisance esq]

You are correct, in general, that the generic advice is that using cav against H.I. and especially against phalanx units is very hard. Some would say suicidal. HOWEVER, by following a few simple rules, developing skill using the correct techniques, living on the PAUSE button, and exercising patience --> heavy cav is deadly efficient at demolishing entire stacks of H.I. and/or spear units.

The following as a Case in point, wherein Gaul cavalry (of all things) takes on and hammers fulls stacks of mostly hoplites, in two consecutive engagements. Enjoy.

Athough the above link shows battles on HARD setting; I want to assure you that I have used this cheap trick successfully in countless battles on VERY HARD battle setting.

I hope you find this amusing.

100% correct cavalry are superb for baiting archers etc to come out into the open or for goading enemy cav to chase you into your trap (Iv'e lost count of the numbers of enemy generals Iv'e killed this way) only 2 things I would add
1) Blow your generals horn seconds before impact (saves getting him killed)
2) Never and I mean NEVER fire arrows/pila/spears at a unit that your general is fighting

When playing the campaign the key to success is winning cheaply (few losses of men) and cavalry win cheap

[Legio]

Equites and Equites Auxilia are pre-Marian way to do this.